1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sleep support apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technology has been proposed for detecting when a person is sleepy and for helping the person to sleep when the person is detected to be sleepy (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-68941).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-68941 discloses a hypnagogic system including a pulse wave sensor that obtains pulse wave data of a person riding on a vehicle, an electrocardiographic sensor that obtains heartbeat data, a hypnagogic control ECU that detects that the person is sleepy, and a plurality of on-vehicle apparatuses, such as a seat reclining apparatus, a massage apparatus, a seat air-conditioning apparatus, an air conditioner, an oxygen adding apparatus, audio equipment, a sunshade opening/closing apparatus, lighting equipment, ottoman, and a monitor screen, for performing operations suitable for the person's sleep.
In this hypnagogic system, the hypnagogic control ECU detects the person's sleepiness based on the pulse wave data detected by the pulse wave sensor and the electrocardiographic data detected by the electrocardiographic sensor, and, when the person's sleepiness is detected, causes the on-vehicle apparatuses to perform operations suitable for sleep.
A sleepy state is not necessarily the state of a body that is suitable for sleep. That is, a person who feels a chronic chill or a person who lacks sleep cannot fall asleep even when the person is very sleepy. However, the above-described technology in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-68941 is incapable of detecting whether the body is in a state suitable for sleep, although the technology can detect whether the person is sleepy. Thus, when the person is detected to be sleepy and control is applied to the on-vehicle apparatuses to perform operations suitable for sleep, the result is that whether the person's body is in a state suitable for sleep cannot be detected.